Phan 1

Cindy Phan
Ms. Barth
English 12 Period 4
25 Sept. 2016
Annotated Bibliography: Minimum Wage Pros/Cons
Research Question: What would be the benefits and the downsides to an increase in minimum
wage?
Eskow, Richard. "A Higher Minimum Wage Will Not Hurt Minorities or Eliminate
Jobs." Minorities and the Law. Ed. Nol Merino. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015.
At Issue. Rpt. from "Real Faces of the Minimum Wage." 2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
The most important facts included in Eskows article were mainly about how raising the
minimum wage would not cause an increase in unemployment. Along with the fact that it would
not eliminate many jobs like a lot of people think it will. His main argument was that the
majority of minimum wage workers are adults. The purpose of this article is to show that out of
all the workers who would be directly affected by a minimum wage increase, nearly 80 percent
of them are adults.
The legitimacy of this article seems decent. The author is not biased towards any side but there
are indicators showing that he has a more negative view towards big corporations or those who
can afford to pay their employees more but claim they cannot. The way he talks about workers
and adults seems a bit unprofessional. This is because he excludes the non-adult workers who

Phan 2
will be affected and seems to not care about them as a factor. Overall the article answered the
research question in some ways, but not fully. This makes this article a somewhat reliable source
to use to answer the question.
Sklar, Holly. "Raising the Minimum Wage Will Help the Poor." Social Justice. Ed. William
Dudley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Raise the
Minimum Wage to $10 in 2010." Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign. 2009. Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.
In Holly Sklars writing on Minimum Wage, she argues that the minimum wage in the United
States has not kept up with the increases for the cost of living. Her argument is that the minimum
wage should be raised to ten dollars an hour. She contends that this will give low-paid workers
more consumer power and in turn that will stimulate the economy. Sklar also argues that this will
balance the scale of pay among all workers and thus will keep the gap between the very rich and
the very poor from widening.
Holly Sklars writing is very reputable. She is a senior policy advisor at Let Justice Roll, which
is a national campaign to raise the minimum wage and reduce poverty. Her writing is not biased
and is based on a lot of facts and evidence. The research question was easily answered using
information from this article. It is a very reliable source and easy source to use. It influenced my
perspective to believe we should have a raise in minimum wages, even if it is not major.

Phan 3
Barbara Ehrenreich. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America. New York, NY:
Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2001.

Ehrenreichs nonfiction work is based on her experimental research as a journalist. She attempts
to determine whether it is possible for an individual to live on minimum wage in America. She
takes jobs as a waitress, maid, and a Wal-Mart sales employee. The main point in the story is her
financial, social, and personal struggles in each situation. The purpose of this experiment is to
see if those working on minimum wage could afford to live, such as being able to cover rent,
food costs, insurance, and car payments.

Barbara Ehrenreichs book is somewhat biased. Her writing is very personal and all in her own
perspective, and also in her own tone, making it hard to see all point of views on the issue. It is a
reliable source in the sense that she actually tried and worked on minimum wage and tried to see
if one could survive on minimum wage. Overall this is not a biased source. It would not be an
easy source to use when answering question of who a minimum wage increase would benefit or
hurt.